UNAMID peacekeeper killed in South Darfur

Another personnel seriously injured in the ambush

A United Nations African Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) peacekeeper was killed and another seriously injured in an ambush on Friday in South Darfur.

The UNAMID vehicle, carrying five troops, was allegedly attacked by four gunmen in Duma village, 37 kilometers northeast of Nyala, according to a UNAMID press release.

The Sudan police rushed the victims to a hospital in Nyala. The most seriously injured was shifted to a Pakistan Level III hospital to undergo surgery.

UNAMID military police and the Sudanese police officials are investigating the scene of the accident. While the attacked vehicle has been recovered, the identity of the assailants has not yet been determined.

“The attack on our peacekeepers is deplorable and our hearts go out to the families and friends of the deceased,” said Aichatou Mindaoudou Souleymane, the UNAMID deputy joint special representative (Political). “UNAMID is doing all it can to render treatment to the injured, and, with the Sudanese police, to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” he added.

In another incident earlier this week, three UN Ethiopian peacekeepers died in Sudan’s Abyei region, after being injured in a blast and delayed evacuation by Sudanese authorities.

Thirty UNAMID personnel have died due to hostile action since UNAMID was deployed on 31 December 2007.